Consulting Hours

Puppy & Kitten Intestinal Worms

How do we treat parasites in 2014?

When you pick up your new puppy or kitten, there is always a chance that it may ALREADY have intestinal (gut) worms. This is because the worm larval forms migrate inside the mother in her blood stream and will pass to the un-born puppy or kitten in the uterus. They can also then pass via the mother's milk to the new-born !

Hopefully the breeder has kept their property clean of stools/faeces, and wormed their breeding (and all other dogs and cats) bitches and queens regularly, and had their stools tested regularly for worms.

Puppies and kittens should be given a worming dose (usually a liquid in young puppies and kittens) from 2 to 2.5 weeks of age, and be given a subsequent dose of this worm medication every 2 weeks until 12 weeks of age.

IF no worms were noted in any of the pup's or kitten's stools up to 12 weeks of age, then we advise that at 16 weeks of age, a fresh stool sample is collected (in a clean plasitc bag or use one of our faeces collection pots) and brought in with you around the time of your puppy's or kitten's 16 week vaccination, and have this sent to the laboratory to check for worms AND other parasites.

IF any worms are noted in your puppy's or kitten's stools at any stage,please advise us of this but we then advise that worming treatment is continued every month until the puppy or kitten is 6 months of age. Wait one month and then submit a stool sample, as above, for testing for worms and other parasites.

NOTE: worm treatments ONLY kill adult worms and do not kill other intestinal parasites or immature gut worms. The stool sample is tested for worms AND other intestinal parasites, including single-celled parasites that can be a problem for humans as well!

There are four groups of intestinal worms that infect puppies (and dogs), kittens (...and cats):

Hookworms

Tapeworms

Whipworms

Roundworms

ONCE a puppy or kitten has returned a NEGATIVE stool result for worms and other intestinal parasites, retest the stool every 6 months for intestinal parasites. Only treat for the parasites found, if any.

This method of managing intestinal parasites in our pets minimises the dosing of medications, especially unnecessary medications in your pet, yet detects parasites that otherwise would go undetected and pose a risk to you and other pets. It also helps avoid resistance in worms to the worm treatments.